Australia in spring 2016

In Brief

Cooler than average nights for the southwest and southeast South Australia

Drier than average for southern Western Australia, Cape York Peninsula and the eastern seaboard

Above average rainfall across the Murray-Darling basin, most of the Northern Territory, western Queensland and Tasmania

Temperatures

Overall, mean temperatures for Australia were equal to the long term average for spring, with an anomaly of 0.00 °C. Mean minimum temperatures were slightly above average (+0.05 °C) and mean maximum temperatures slightly below average (anomaly of −0.05 °C). Most States and the Northern Territory recorded cooler than average daytime temperatures, with only Western Australia recording well above average temperatures for maxima. For minima, temperatures for most States and Territories were either warmer than average or close to average, with only South Australia recording well below average minima. Tasmania reported its ninth warmest overnight temperature for spring. For mean temperatures, Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia were all cooler than average overall, whereas Tasmania and Western Australia recorded well above average mean temperatures. The contrasting temperature extremes across the country were more prevalent for minima, particularly between the warmer north and the cooler south of the mainland. At least 16% of Australia was within the warmest decile (the highest 10% of historical records) whereas 9% was within the coolest decile (the lowest 10% of historical records).

The individual months of winter were also very warm and a number of daily or monthly records were set at locations around Australia. Notably, Kalumburu, in the far north of Western Australia, set an Australian record for warmest June average maximum, whilst numerous locations in northwestern Australia set daily records for warmest June day during the first week of the month.
Records were also set for overnight temperatures, with record high monthly minima observed at locations in each of Western Australia, Queensland, the Northern Territory, and Tasmania.
Conversely, some cool daily records for August maximum temperatures were set in Southwest Western Australia and a number of stations observed their coldest August mean temperatures for the month.

Above average to very much above average maximum and mean temperatures were recorded along a narrow strip of the east Australian coastline, south to Victoria. Record highest spring mean temperatures occurred surrounding Townsville. For minima, above average temperatures occurred along the east Australian coastline south to northern New South Wales, and again in an area from the Hunter through to Canberra, then extending away from the coast, southwards to East Gippsland.

The interior of Australia—east of Western Australia, south from central Northern Territory through to South Australia's south east coast, and extending across much of the region eastwards to the Great Dividing Range—recorded below average temperatures for maximum, minimum and mean temperatures. Large areas of very much below average temperature were recorded throughout western Queensland and border regions with the Northern Territory for maximum and mean temperatures, with smaller areas throughout New South Wales. Large parts of south east South Australia were very much below average, with an area surrounding Port Augusta recording lowest on record for minima during spring.

In the west, maximum temperatures were mostly close to average. Apart from the tropics, regions of above average daytime temperatures were confined to the far east and west coasts of the country. Much of southern Western Australia recorded below to very much below average minima, with lowest on record across the interior of south west Western Australia. Below average mean temperatures were constrained to the south west, with above average temperatures extending along the northwest coastline, north of Carnarvon.

Areal average temperatures

Maximum Temperature

Minimum Temperature

Mean Temperature

Rank(of 107)

Anomaly
(°C)

Comment

Rank(of 107)

Anomaly
(°C)

Comment

Rank(of 107)

Anomaly
(°C)

Comment

Australia

49

−0.05

65

+0.05

57

+0.00

Queensland

= 30

−0.38

= 82

+0.46

60

+0.05

New South Wales

31

−0.43

57

−0.05

38

−0.24

Victoria

= 38

−0.42

= 75

+0.20

= 50

−0.10

Tasmania

= 57

+0.04

99

+0.59

9th highest

= 79

+0.32

South Australia

= 32

−0.58

= 19

−0.70

27

−0.63

Western Australia

75

+0.51

60

−0.02

= 66

+0.25

Northern Territory

= 56

−0.02

= 69

+0.19

= 65

+0.09

Rank ranges from 1 (lowest) to 107 (highest).
A rank marked with ’=‘ indicates the value is tied for that rank.
Anomaly is the departure from the long-term (1961–1990) average.

Rainfall

Although Australian total rainfall during spring 2016 was 26% above average, rainfall varied considerably over large areas. It was generally drier than average in the country's southwest and northeast. Spring was wetter than average across much of the southeast and interior, and the Northern Territory. Much of the rain over the interior and southeast fell during September. Vigorous cold fronts during September and October brought heavy rainfall and damaging winds across many areas of the southeast.

Above average spring rainfall occurred across the Murray-Darling basin, most of Victoria, eastern South Australia, western Queensland, all of Tasmania, much of the Northern Territory and parts of northern Western Australia. Rainfall was in decile 10 (the highest 10% of records since 1900) across parts of northern Tasmania, the southern Murray-Darling basin and adjoining regions of southwest Victoria, eastern South Australia, then extending northwest through adjoining areas of western Queensland and the Northern Territory. The Top End was also in decile 10, with some parts recording highest on record.

Below average rainfall was recorded across southern Western Australia and much of Cape York Peninsula. Some smaller areas existed along eastern Australia, particularly coastal areas south of Fraser Island. Interior parts of southern Western Australia and areas of Cape York Peninsula recorded rainfall in the lowest decile (the lowest 10% of historical records).

Notes

The Seasonal Climate Summary is prepared to list the main features of the weather in Australia
using the most timely and accurate information available on the date of publication; it will generally not be updated. Later information, including data that has had greater opportunity for quality control, will be presented in the Monthly Weather Review, usually published in the fourth week of the month.

Climate Summaries are usually published on the first working day of each month.

This statement has been prepared based on information available at
1 pm EST on Thursday 1 December 2016.
Some checks have been made on the data, but it is possible that results will change as new information becomes available, especially for rainfall where much more data becomes available as returns are received from volunteers.

Long-term averages in this statement and associated tables are for the period 1961 to 1990 unless otherwise specified.

The system used for calculating areal averages of rainfall was changed in May 2009; the main effect was that current and historical values for Tasmania were increased. Since December 2012, ACORN-SAT has been used for calculating areal averages of temperature; the major change from earlier datasets is that the ACORN-SAT dataset commences in 1910, and hence rankings are calculated using a larger set of years.